SensThys Releases $49 RFID Antenna

The new product is part of the company's effort to drive down the cost and complexity of RFID installations, which also includes the acquisition of IoT software company Dígame Systems, enabling software development to aid in that effort.

In an effort to drive down the cost and complexity of radio frequency identification installations, SensThys has released its SensRF-101 antenna, priced at $49—which, the company claims, is between a half and one-third of the cost of most other antennas offering the same performance. The firm has been expanding as it releases new products as well. In July 2018, it acquired Dígame Systems, an Internet of Things (IoT) software company that will enable SensThys to provide software solutions with its RFID technology.

The SensRF-101 antenna is intended to make RFID more affordable, the company reports. Since a SensArray reader with a built-in antenna costs $689, an installation of a single SensArray with three external SensRF-101 antennas would bring the cost of each RFID read point to about $215 (in quantities of 200). That, according to SensThys, is down from a previous low of $250 for a read point with a SensArray reader and three other standard RFID antennas.

The new antenna is part of the company's drive to reduce the cost of RFID installations, says Neil Mitchell, SensThys's sales and marketing VP. While RFID technology providers have been striving to bring the cost of UHF RFID tags down, he notes, there has been little corresponding downward movement of the cost of readers or antenna hardware, or the installation of those reader infrastructures. "Our strategy evolves around three concepts," he states: economics, simplicity and aesthetics.

The economics of an RFID installation have continued to be a barrier for many companies, both small and large, looking to deploy RFID. In the case of large companies, such as chain retailers, the sheer volume of RFID readers and antennas required could lead to excessive cost, in terms of hardware, installation and cabling. Smaller businesses may simply not be able to afford the hardware at all.

Mitchell cites the simplicity of the SensArray reader, released in 2017, as another strategy aimed at making RFID deployments more desirable. Because the readers can be daisy-chained and powered over Ethernet, users or solution providers can simply connect one reader to a power supply and then cable others to it or each other. The SensRF-101 operates with the SensArray, he reports, as well as with other standard UHF RFID readers.

There is also the consideration of aesthetics, Mitchell says. The new antenna is designed to be low-profile, he adds—it measures 0.8 inch in thickness and 10 inches by 10 inches across, and can be mounted on ceilings or walls so as to remain unobtrusive. The antenna is sized exactly the same as the SensArray reader, Mitchell notes, and can come with custom logos or graphics, or with a fabric exterior if so required by a customer.